All our bikes are designed for best-in-class weight and ride quality. The lightweight, stiff and durable ALUXX SL aluminum is hand-built and engineered in-house by the world leader in alloy bicycle technology. This measurement is normally from the centre of the bottom bracket or the centre of the bolt that attached the crank arms. This giant KIDS BIKES differs by brand, some measure to the top of where the top tube meets the seat tube, or even the centre of the top tube. Road bikes are in centimetres or descriptive sizes where as Hybrid bikes can be any one of the three. Bikes also get longer as they go up in size but different brands can be inherently longer or shorter than others.
There appears to be a kickstand mounting point for riders who wish to add one (great fo SUV type riders who park in garages and at bike racks vs. pure off-road users). Essentially a traditional single-pivot four-bar setup but with a flex stay in the place of the dropout pivot. It makes no lofty claims of kinematic wizardry like the Maestro, but it gets the job done.
You’ll also find that this bike is outfitted with 26-inch 6-spoke rims, which look good and provide real-world performance benefits. It’s a shame, because otherwise the Giant is a sorted bike to start your mountain bike journey on. Swapping the giant ROAD BIKES dual chainrings for a narrow-wide ring and 10-speed Shimano Deore cassette, mech and shifter wouldn’t cost much over £100 and would answer my main complaints. The rear suspension is relatively firm, which again has positives and negatives.
Better yet, installing a dropper seat post on this bike would be incredible. There are quality options on the market in the $200 range from Tranz-X and X-Fusion that we’ve had good experiences with on other test bikes. I don’t have a lot of experience with the rear suspension design chosen here, apparently it allows the chainstays and seatstays to flex and only has a single pivot point. It felt good enough to me, and I hope it doesn’t create chain kickback or squat, input is welcome in the comments below. Since its original launch back in 2005, the Giant Trance has gone on to become one of the most common full suspension mountain bikes found on Aussie trails.
As a result we always aim to include some more affordable test bikes, and they’re typically alloy hardtails. While it’s great to see a Monarch shock on a bike in this price bracket, the Stance would really benefit from a firmer platform mode to spruce up the pedalling efficiency. Look Ma, no pivot – Giant saves weight and complexity by relying on built-in flex through the seat and chainstays. Triple chainrings may be out of vogue but they extract a wide gear range from the nin-speed rear cassette. Cranksets are not the best and really heavy, upgrade your stem and wheels. The Outroad Mountain Bike 26 inch is outfitted with a high-carbon steel double suspension system that utilizes a 21-speed gear that provides fluid motion and actioning under a wide array of conditions.
The frame is purpose built with internal cable and wire routing, weight is well positioned low and center on the frame to maximize stability. Uncomplicated and lightweight, the Raidon R is a great shock for XC and trail riding. If you can swing it, I’d spend the extra money and get a Trance over the Stance.
The Suntour suspension package on the Stance isn’t all that exciting, but it works well on this bike. The Stance 29 2 is a well rounded and high performing full-suspension bike at a very reasonable price. Bicycling participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Overall, the Stance 29 2 is a bike that will help you get into new adventures, whether that’s increasing your fitness, getting rad on tough trails, or even just arriving to work feeling calm and happy. At $1,550, this full-suspension makes industry-standard features available to more riders.
Big wheels, supportive rear suspension, 12-speed drivetrain, sounds like a recipe for good climbing performance to us. This Performance level frame material features 6061 alloy with single-butted tubes to produce strong, lightweight framesets for a variety of different bikes and riding styles. giant KIDS BIKES A proven “single-pivot” design that uses the flexing action of the chainstay/seatstay junction to produce a lightweight and durable suspension system with 4.7 inches/120mm of rear travel. The most accurate way to determine any bike’s weight is to have your local dealer weigh it for you.